Archives: June 2014

Does cognitive behavior therapy help kids and adults manage ADHD symptoms? I've been thinking of starting CBT for my 12-year-old daughter, who has been diagnosed with the condition.

There is little evidence that cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is helpful for young children with ADHD, but it may be effective for adolescents. CBT works best for ADHD adults; in some cases, it is as effective as medication. CBT works especially well in tamping down anxiety. If your daughter seems anxious, as do many children with ADHD, this would be an additional reason to consider CBT.
In...
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Several parents I know are using homeopathy to manage their child's ADHD symptoms. What is it and does it work?

Homeopathy is an alternative medicine that uses very high dilutions of common substances to cure disease. There have been three randomized studies on the effects of homeopathy on ADHD. Of those, one didn't include enough subjects. Of the other two studies, one seemed to show that homeopathy was effective for ADHD, while the other did not. At this point, there isn't good evidence that homeopathy is...
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I've been taking a generic form of Concerta, and it isn't working as well as the brand-name formulation. What should I do?

Many patients and physicians have noticed that the new generic formulations of Concerta are not working as well, or as long as, the original brand-name Concerta. It turns out that the FDA allows any generic methylphenidate extended-release medication that comes in the same dose sizes as brand-name Concerta to be dispensed like the brand-name medication. There are four generics that fall into this category, all of...
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Nootropics are substances that enhance cognition and memory, and facilitate learning. They are also known as “smart drugs, memory enhancers, neuro enhancers, cognitive enhancers, and intelligence enhancers.” These can take the form of pharmaceutical medications, nutritional supplements, or herbs.
Psychostimulants, like Ritalin, are nootropics that help with ADHD symptoms. The effects of other nootropics are much less predictable. The web advertises smart supplements that claim to be...
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I am an adult who has trouble finishing assignments at work. I have thought about asking for accommodations to help me do a better job, but I don't want to reveal that I have ADHD. Does the law protect me from discrimination if I tell my boss I have the condition?

Yes. The Americans with Disabilities Act, a federal civil rights law, prohibits discrimination against individuals with "a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities." Included in "major life activities" are "concentrating, thinking ... and working." Your employer is required to provide you with "reasonable accommodations" to enable you to do your job despite your ADHD, but there are several caveats:
You...
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Some of my friends in a local support group say that they have been diagnosed with ADD, not ADHD. Is there a difference?

No. ADHD — Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder — applies to both the syndrome of disruptive or hyperactive behavior, as well as the syndrome that does not include hyperactivity. The latter is characterized by wandering attention, with no hyperactivity whatsoever. The first is called ADHD, combined subtype (inattention combined with disruptive behavior), and the second is called ADHD, primarily inattentive (daydreamy but not hyperactive).
The term ADHD itself...
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